FINAL: Kentucky WBB destroys Auburn 90-62 in Rhyne Howard's final home game

Rhyne Howard was the star coming into the afternoon and she gave the Big Blue Nation something to cheer about in her final home game at Memorial Coliseum.

Kentucky Women’s Basketball (15-11, 8-8 in SEC play) won its sixth consecutive game during Senior Day (or Rhyne Howard Day, as it was appropriately named) on Sunday, destroying the Auburn Tigers (10-17, 2-14 in SEC play) by a final score of 90-62. Howard, a senior who will leave Lexington as one of the program’s all-time greatest players, posted a season-high 32 points on a record-setting eight made 3-pointers. She finished 11-20 from the floor and 8-13 from distance in addition to her two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in just 27 minutes of action.

The final act in Memorial Coliseum. @howard_rhyne x #CrownHer👑 pic.twitter.com/2acH3x72uY

— Kentucky WBB (@KentuckyWBB) February 27, 2022

Howard did not disappoint on her special day. The Wildcat senior continued her pregame fun into the first quarter as she quickly began to unload from deep. She was up to 11 points through the opening five minutes of action, drilling her first three 3-point attempts. By the end of the frame, Howard had poured in 16 of Kentucky’s points as the ‘Cats took a commanding 30-15 lead into the second quarter.

She wasn’t done putting on a show in front of the home fans, though. Howard picked up right where she left off in the second, connecting on another pair of triples as UK continued to extend its lead. An 8-0 run for the ‘Cats pushed the advantage over 20 as the game began to slip away from Auburn in a hurry. At one point, Kentucky was in front 42-20 as Howard was responsible for 21 of those points for her squad.

At the halftime break, Howard was up to 24 points on 9-14 shooting, including a 6-9 clip from deep, which set the program’s single-game mark for most 3-pointers made in one half. Dre’Una Edwards and Jada Walker combined for another 20 points as UK led 47-26 halfway through the contest.

Kentucky came out of the locker room eager to put this game to rest. Powered by eight third-quarter points from Edwards and five more from Howard, UK was able to extend its lead to over 30 points. With just 10 minutes left in regulation, the ‘Cats held a strong 75-40 advantage. Howard would check out for the final time at Memorial with around six minutes to go as she watched her team cruise to the 28-point win from the sidelines.

Howard was special, but her teammates deserve plenty of credit for the team’s biggest SEC win of the year. Edwards contributed 25 points, seven rebounds, and three assists off the bench while Walker added 13 points and nine rebounds of her own. Kentucky shot 51 percent as a team from the floor and 10-20 from distance while holding Auburn to just 29 percent overall shooting and forcing the Tigers into 15 turnovers.